


You're Not Alone

by CastielFollowMe



Series: AUs of the Single Dad Shiro Verse [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU OF THIS AU, Anxiety, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Not cannon relationship, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Scars, war scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-03-22
Packaged: 2018-10-09 08:31:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10408122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CastielFollowMe/pseuds/CastielFollowMe
Summary: Keith thought that life would return back to normal once he returned from his deployment. After all, his dad was just fine all throughout his childhood. But it seems that life doesn't return to the way it was after war.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "I don't know if you accept prompts her or just on your ao3 account but I love your story so much it gives me so much feels!!! I saw the thing where Shiro didn't want Keith to come home broken like he was and how Keith had more scars on his chest with the dog tags. Could you do a chapter where Keith is trying to hide his PTSD and isn't being honest. Lance and shiro are of course worried. At some point Keith explodes or something happens and there's a confrontation from them both. Thankyou so much."

Keith had been home for almost six months now.

              Life should be perfect. He was home at twenty-three. He didn’t lose any limbs like his father had. He was _engaged_ to a gorgeous man. He was well loved and he had a new dog after Red’s sad passing last year. That was a surprise that Keith had cried through when Lance presented the German shepherd puppy with big floppy ears and a tongue lolling out of his mouth. The two of them named the puppy Apollo and the dog was massive now.

              Still life should be perfect for Keith.

              Except it wasn’t.

              Keith had scars. Lots of them. On his face. His neck and especially on his chest. Sometimes he went to be with a shirt on while Lance went shirtless, not because he was embarrassed by them but because of what they _reminded_ Keith. Of the horrors, he’d faced while in the army.

              Keith would never regret his decision to enlist and would always be proud to have served his home but that didn’t mean he came out unscathed. He’d watched friends, _brothers_ die in his arms or alone. He’d been wounded. He’d killed people. He’d seen people – innocent people die. Children. Mothers. Fathers.

              Keith didn’t sleep much anymore because of the nightmares. He always faked falling asleep when he and Lance went to bed but usually would lie awake for hours until dawn and only then could he catch a couple hours of sleep and still be up before Lance. He told Lance that his body was still in the military and kept waking up early. Lance believed him.

              Keith’s dad had tried to see his son as often as he could and they usually went to lunch or dinner once a week, sometimes more if Lance joined them. Shiro was careful to avoid any topics involving his enlistment but his eyes would linger on the scars poking out from Keith’s collar and his eyes would get sad. Keith always tried to cheer up his dad by asking about his service dog program and soon enough the two of them would be talking about what dogs to pair up with Veterans they both knew.

              But it was more than just the nightmares.

              Keith had sold his car just after his enlistment, claiming that Lance or Shiro could drive him around whenever he was in town since it was a short time frame. After Keith, had returned home, Lance had offered to help Keith buy a car together and get him a new one.

              Keith didn’t have the heart to tell him that he felt claustrophobic in cars now, that he was terrified a missile was going to tip the car over and explode. He didn’t have the heart to tell Lance that he didn’t like trucks either because sometimes the engine sounded like explosions and Keith would feel as if he were _back there._

              Instead Keith lied and said they should be focusing on money for the wedding and that he was fine taking the bus for a while.

              Keith never took the bus. He walked everywhere.

              Keith hated going to crowded places and had to hide in the bathroom for an hour when he and his family had gone to a midnight premier movie where the theater was _packed_ with people. He’d told Hunk that it was something he ate and immediately everyone went home with him.

              Keith didn’t want to keep his friends from having a good time or going out and soon enough he found himself going out less and less, in fear that he would make them want to go home because he wanted to go home. He didn’t want to feel like a burden to anyone. This would all pass in due time. He would be fine.

              Look at his dad. His dad was amazing.

              Why should he be so weak?

              Keith felt like a ticking tomb bomb and even he wasn’t aware of when it would finally go off. He just hoped that he would be alone when it did happen.

x.V.x.

              Things never work out the way we hope though, do they?

              The day had been just like any other. Keith and Lance were visiting Shiro at his shelter to discuss dates for their wedding. Keith and Lance had finally settled on a date in January, close to their anniversary and in Lance’s favorite time of the year. Hunk and Pidge were coming to meet up with them along with Pidge’s older brother Matt.

              Keith was on edge all day. He was exhausted from not getting enough sleep. He was jittery from reoccurring nightmares when he did sleep and he was starting to have some trouble differing between reality and his memories. He’d pulled a black baseball cap over his head, and tried to cover his face as much as possible while still happily engaging in a conversation with his dad and fiancé. But he was struggling to keep up after a while and was resorting to one word answers.

              “Keith, are you feeling alright?” Shiro finally asked when his son had said no more than three words in an hour, even though he _knew_ that Keith was thrilled to get married. Even Lance was noticing something off with his fiancé. Shiro had a better idea of what could be bothering Keith, judging from his poster, his dull eyes _(god this was what Shiro had been terrified about; how can he help his baby?)_.

              Lance put the back of hand to Keith’s forehead and Shiro caught the slight flinch. “You feel a little warm babe. Do you wanna go home?”

              “No!” Keith said quickly, pulling his hand down further over his face and rubbing his arms. Lance had grabbed one of Keith’s hand, which had more scars than his other hand and slowly traced each one of the scars. Normally, Keith would calm down at this but he seemed to only be winding up tighter and tighter. “No, we just got here and I want to spend time with you and my dad!”

              “Keith, honey, it’s okay.” Shiro said softly. Despite growing up, Keith was never bothered that Shiro would still give him nicknames. “If you’re not feeling okay, you should go home and _rest.”_

              “I’m fine dad.” Keith snapped at Shiro much to everyone’s surprise. “Stop babying me.”

              “No one is babying you.” Lance frowned. “If you’re not feeling well we can go home, so you can get better! We can see Shiro tomorrow or _any day.”_

              “I want to see you guys now.” Keith hissed.

              “Keith, don’t be a baby. Let’s go.” Lance argued hotly and Keith’s eyes narrowed.

              “Quit fucking bossing me around Lance. You’re not in charge of me.” Keith rolled his eyes and ignored Lance’s reply.

              “Keith, stop it. Don’t talk to Lance like that.” Shiro scolded and could see that the situation was escalating. He’d seen firsthand how soldiers who didn’t deal with their PTSD acted and Shiro was ashamed that he hadn’t seen this sooner. He had just prayed that Keith wouldn’t have to suffer like he had. Keith’s entire body was vibrating and he squeezed his hands into fists on his lap.

              Just as he was about to shout at his dad and fiancé, a body slammed into Keith from behind and he was jolted into the counted. Just as the stranger was about to apologize, Keith shoved himself off the counter and snatched the guys arm before twisting it behind his back. The young man cried out and apologized over and over while Keith shoved him to the ground.

              “Get down! Get down!” Keith commanded, hat falling off his face and Shiro’s heart sunk.

              “Keith! Stop it! What are you doing?!” Lance cried hysterically and tried to grab Keith, only to be stopped by Shiro.

              “Stop. He’s not here anymore.” Shiro whispered.

              Lance gawked. “What do you mean?! He’s right there.”

              “No I mean, he’s not here. He’s back at war.” Shiro said hoarsely and Lance’s eyes widened. The stranger cried out again and Lance could see a crowd beginning to gather around the shelter and his heart began hammering in his chest.

              Before anyone could move, Shiro had grabbed both of Keith’s arm and pulled Keith back against his chest. Shiro was bigger in size, but Keith was taller and had the most recent training. Still, even with Keith’s strength, Shiro managed to pull his son off the stranger and did the one thing that he had hoped he would _never_ do to another person.

              Especially his son.

              He pulled Keith to the ground and straddled over him, forcing Keith to the ground.

              “Let me go, you fuck! Let me go. My team is coming, they’ll be here for me!” Keith’s eyes were crazy wild and darting all around the room, unseeing in the present. Sweat was building on his pale face and Shiro’s heart cracked.

              “Lance, get everyone out of here. Now!” Shiro yelled over his shoulder, grunting when one of Keith’s boots hit him in the chest. He scrambled to keep himself on top of Keith when Keith tried to buck out of his grip. Lance was stunned for a moment, but jumped into action after a loud shout from Keith.

              He shoved the poor stranger out of the shelter and ushered everyone else out before locking the main door and closing any blinds.

              “Keith, calm down! It’s July 26. You’re home. You’re in my service dog shelter with Lance. My name is Takashi Shirogane and I’m your father.” Shiro pleaded when Lance stood beside them still shaking. Lance couldn’t believe that Keith was still fighting so desperately against his own father.

              “You stay away from my dad!” Keith hissed eyes still unfocused.

              “Keith! It is me, your dad! And Lance is here too. You remember your fiancé, right?” Shiro asked softly.

              “Keith please come back to us. Please.” Lance’s voice cracked with tears and he almost feel to his knees.

              “You keep him out of this! He has nothing to do with his worry! If you touch him, I’ll kill you!” Keith screamed and slammed his entire body back against the ground. Shiro struggled tiredly against his son, unsure of how much longer he could hold his son done. Physically and mentally.

              “You leave them out of this. Leave them alone. Leave them – please. Don’t hurt them.” Shiro and Lance were both stunned when Keith’s struggles slowed down and he began to sob. His body went limp in Shiro’s arm as tears rolled down his face and Shiro was quicker than lightning to get off Keith. Carefully he began to stroke Keith’s cheek as Keith leaned into the touch.

              “Keith, please come back. Your dad is safe. I’m safe.” Lance begged and placed Keith’s head in his lap. It took a few more long, long minutes of Keith sobbing and speaking incoherent sentences before he finally opened his eyes again and _looked._

              “Lance? Dad?”

              “Oh Keith!” Lance burst into tears and even Shiro felt a few tears trail down his cheeks. Keith frowned tiredly and blinked a few times as he tried to get his bearings. It was a feeling that Shiro was all too familiar with, so he pushed Keith down gently when he tried to sit up.

              “Stay down. It’s okay. You must be exhausted.” Shiro said softly as he continued to stroke Keith’s cheek, smiling weakly when Keith leaned into the touch.

              “You’re crying? Why?” Keith asked tiredly.

              “Why didn’t you tell us it was so bad?” Lance croaked and Keith frowned in confusion. “Your PTSD.” At this, Keith could put two and two together and he was horrified to think that his dad and his love had just seen him fall apart. At this, he could feel new tears pooling behind his eyes and his throat was slowly tightening. _How could he let this happen?_

              “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Keith said, bursting into new tears, unashamed as he cried like he had when he was no more than a baby. He felt his dad and Lance sit him upright before they both engulfed him in a hug and Keith clung to them desperately. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

              “No Keith, we’re sorry. We’re sorry you’ve been struggling all alone.” Lance whispered softly and found his own tears drying.

              “But you don’t have to be alone anymore. We are here to help you. Through the good and the bad.” Shiro said softly. “Please don’t hide it anymore. It only gets worse. Believe me.” Keith continued to cry but Lance and Shiro weren’t worried about it. This was what Keith needed; in order to heal.

              He needed to cry and he needed to let go.

              _You’re not alone Keith. You never were._


End file.
